Mark Charnock, who plays April’s dad Marlon Dingle, said 16-year-old Amelia Amelia Flanagan’s performance in the 30-minute special on Tuesday is ‘very moving – and disturbing’

Sleeping in a squat, desperate for food, begging for money and too scared to go home. For Emmerdale’s Amelia Flanagan this shell of a life ends when the cameras stop rolling. But for 75,000 teens each year it’s a reality.

That’s why on Tuesday, the Yorkshire soap is departing from the norm, to do a one-off “filmic” episode devoted just to April’s time on the streets – and the desperate measures she’s had to go to to survive – after she was last seen running away on Christmas Day.

According to Missing People, the Mirror’s Christmas charity last year, it’s a story that desperately needs telling. One person who couldn’t be more proud of 16-year-old Amelia’s performance in this stark and hard-hitting episode is her co-star Mark Charnock, who plays April’s dad, Marlon Dingle.

April was last seen running away on Christmas Day

In an exclusive interview, he says: “It’s one of the most powerful episodes I’ve seen. And I’ve been in the show for 28 years. It’s very moving – and disturbing. And Amelia is excellent.”

The full 30-minute episode goes to some dark places and sheds light on why April ran away in the first place. Just like in so many real cases, it’s because of one bad decision.

“It’s an important episode for everyone to see,” says Mark, 56. “You hear the numbers of missing people and they are so large that you become, not numb, but.. you’re so exposed to it, you don’t look twice at a missing poster.

“So if this episode makes people’s empathy stretch to the point where they do look twice, we’ll have done our job.”

Missing People has been advising cast and crew on the storyline, and have been pleased the soap has been raising awareness, especially as someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK.

Meanwhile, producer Laura Shaw held a screening of Tuesday’s episode for Emmerdale crew and co-stars – and many openly cried.

Homelessness charity Missing People has been advising cast and crew on the storyline

“It can be extremely emotional to watch and there certainly wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the lights went up at Emmerdale HQ,” she says. “It’s our hope that in showing April’s story, anyone watching can see how someone can end up in this situation.

“The key thing that we wanted to get across, was a sentiment echoed by the charity: the majority of people who go missing don’t intend for things to go the way they go. It’s a snowball effect.”

Viewers will follow April from the minute she left the Dingles, having been unsure how to tell Marlon and Rhonda about a secret she was keeping. She initially tries calling friends, but when no one can take her in, she heads to a hotel. Realising she only has enough money for one night but then too ashamed to go home, she spirals further and further, spending time in Leeds squat before an incident that leaves her at crisis point.

Carrying an entire episode on their own is a lot for any star, let alone one of their youngest – and one who is still a minor.

But Laura says: ‘It was definitely a first for Emmerdale, but the audience are now so invested in April’s story, they want to see what’s happened to her.”

Too ashamed to go home, April’s life spirals further and further downwards

“It’s arguably one of the standout episodes of Emmerdale this year. The outstanding performance from Amelia Flanagan is just breathtaking.”

Mark also called the storyline one of the “most important” of his career. After Tuesday’s episode, viewers will see April return home having revealed her secret, only to struggle to fit back into her old life. It’s an issue that Missing People warn affects many families – so Emmerdale wants to tackle it carefully.

“[The child’s] been through experiences the parent can never understand,” says Mark, who has been working directly with the charity. “How can a parent win their child – or a version of their child – back? There’s an endless fear: will they go again?

“The missing part is just a fraction of the story. It’s a terrible gift that keeps on giving.

“So it’s definitely one of the most important stories I’ve done.”